HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire a leak repair plumber in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to leak repairs. The checks are the plumber's terms and insurance, and whether a boiler leak needs a Gas Safe engineer.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a leak repair plumber in five steps

  1. Isolate the leakTurn off the isolation valve or the stopcock; know where both are.
  2. Photograph the leakWhere it is, how bad, and any damage — for the plumber and your insurer.
  3. Agree the call-outCall-out, hourly rate and parts, in a message before the visit.
  4. Boiler leak? Ask whoWater from a boiler can be a water-side fault; anything on the gas side is Gas Safe work.
  5. Keep the invoiceCause, repair and parts, with photos.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to plumbers who fix leaks in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so anyone may offer a leak repair. For a leak repair, two legal lines remain: gas work belongs to a Gas Safe registered engineer, and new fittings must meet your nation's water fittings rules.

Ask whether any part of the leak repair touches gas, and if it does, who on the team is on the Gas Safe Register.

Gas Safe Register for anything on gas

Plumbers need no register, but gas does: under the 1998 Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, and Northern Ireland's 2004 Regulations, only a Gas Safe registered engineer may be paid to work on a gas appliance or pipework. If the leak repair reaches a gas boiler, hob or supply, that part is theirs.

Check the engineer's licence by text to 85080, or on 0800 408 5500, before the gas part of the leak repair starts. gassaferegister.co.uk →

Water fittings rules

In England and Wales the 1999 Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations govern the pipes and fittings used for a leak repair; an approved contractor must give the person who commissioned the work a certificate saying whether the fittings comply. For a leak repair in Scotland the rules are Scottish Water's byelaws, and in Northern Ireland the 2009 Regulations.

Ask whether the plumber is an approved contractor and will give you the certificate for the leak repair. legislation.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance, including water damage

No law requires a plumber to be insured for the leak repair, but one leaking joint can ruin a ceiling. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to the leak repair done with reasonable care and skill — insurance is what makes a claim against the plumber worth something.

Ask the plumber for the insurer's name and whether the policy covers water damage.

VAT

Fixing a leak is standard-rated at 20%, call-out and parts included. Once a business's taxable turnover goes over £90,000 it must be registered, and the VAT then goes on the quote as its own line.

Ask whether the leak repair call-out includes VAT, and for the plumber's VAT number. gov.uk →

“What do you charge to come out for a leak repair?”

A good answer: A call-out and hourly rate, in a message before the visit.

“How will you find where the leak is coming from?”

A good answer: Starting at the wet patch and working back; lifting a panel or board if needed, priced first.

“Is it the joint, the fitting or the pipe?”

A good answer: A clear diagnosis before the repair.

“Will the repair be permanent?”

A good answer: Yes, or a temporary fix named as such, with the permanent repair priced.

“Is anything else on the pipework about to fail?”

A good answer: An honest view on old valves or corroded pipe, without pressure to do it today.

“Can you photograph the leak and the repair?”

A good answer: Yes, for your insurer.

Getting the quote right

  • Call-out and hourly rate
  • Parts named and priced
  • Access — panels or boards lifted — and who makes good
  • Who actually attends to the leak — the plumber you spoke to, employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% as its own line

Walk away if

  • Will not say what the call-out costs
  • Wants to replace everything before finding the leak
  • Leaves without testing under pressure
  • Works on the gas side of a boiler without a Gas Safe card
LOW
£80
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£350

What a leak repair plumber costs: £80–£350 per job

Leak repairs are priced as a call-out plus time and parts; access and making good add to it. Leak Repair price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Leak repair plumbers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. TraceThe leak traced from the wet patch to the source.
  2. IsolateWater turned off at a valve or the stopcock.
  3. RepairThe joint remade, the washer or valve replaced, or the section cut out.
  4. TestWater back on and the repair checked under pressure.
  5. ExplainAnything else spotted on the pipework explained, not fixed without asking.

Weeping joint
A joint that leaks slowly, a drip at a time.
Washer
A rubber or fibre ring that seals a tap or valve.
Isolation valve
A valve that cuts the water to one fitting.
Escape of water
The insurance term for water damage from a leak.
Compression fitting
A joint sealed by tightening a nut on a brass ring.
Making good
Replacing panels, boards or plaster after the repair.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the repair driesLook again after a day; a weeping joint shows as a fresh drip.
Keep photos and invoiceYour insurer may need both if water damage follows.
Ask about the guaranteeHow long the repair is guaranteed, on the invoice.
Rate the jobTell the next person how the leak repair went — time kept, mess left, price held. Under four stars, the leak repair plumber is offered the chance to fix it first through make-it-right.

STEP 1Tell the leak repair plumber, in writingRaise it with the leak repair plumber in writing while it is fresh. The leak repair came with a legal promise of reasonable care and skill under the 2015 Act; ask for the shortfall to be fixed at no cost, and if it cannot be, for an appropriate refund.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the leak repair plumber gets the chance to put the leak repair right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesFor advice about the leak repair, or to have the complaint passed to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the leak repair, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring a leak repair plumber: questions people ask

No. Leak repairs sit outside any register; the fittings still have to meet the water rules.

A plumber can fix many water-side leaks; anything on the gas side needs a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Escape of water damage is often covered; tell your insurer early and keep photos.

£80–£350 per job, about £150 typical for a visible pipe or fitting. The detail sits in the leak repair price guide, and the search above lists plumbers working near your town.

An invoice, and an approved contractor's certificate if new fittings were installed.

One to two hours for most leak repairs.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Leak DetectionHow to hire: Burst Pipe RepairHow to hire: Emergency PlumberHow to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Tap & Mixer InstallationHow to hire: Toilet Repair & InstallationHow to hire: Pipework InstallationHow to hire: Bathroom PlumbingAll 701 hiring guides →

Leak repair plumbers near you

Leak repair plumbers in LondonLeak repair plumbers in ManchesterLeak repair plumbers in BirminghamLeak repair plumbers in GlasgowLeak repair plumbers in BelfastAll leak repair plumbers on Locufy →Do it yourself: fixing a dripping tap or a weeping joint →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5 — notice to the water undertaker
  2. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 6 — contractor's certificate
  3. Water Supply (Water Fittings) (Scotland) Byelaws Extension Order 2024
  4. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
  5. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  6. Gas Safe Register
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  9. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register